You're hardly alone. More than 7 million Americans are believed to have eliminated meat from their diets — and chefs, ever observant of dining trends, are taking note.

Jamie Knott is among them. The chef and owner of high-end Saddle River Inn and the more casual Saddle River Cafe has not only noticed that more and more diners want to eat "healthy" but that more and more are eating more vegetables. "There are a greater number of vegetarians," he said. "It's not a trend. It's here to stay."

Any wonder, then, that restaurants — even those famous for their beef burgers — are now also offering vegetarian burgers? And, vegetarians rejoice, some chefs are bringing their A-game to their anything-but-meat burgers, creating flavor-packed, rich-tasting plant-based concoctions that even die-hard carnivores could love.

The Impossible Burger at The Barrow House, Clifton

"The Impossible Burger" at The Barrow House in Clifton, NJ. The "burger" is vegetarian, made with smoked portabella mushrooms, carmelized onions, havarti cheese, shoestring potato crisps, chive aoili, and horseradish dijonaise.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

The Barrow House introduced this plant-based burger as a special to celebrate its first-year anniversary nearly two years ago. It was then, according to co-owner Thomas Maroulakos, the only restaurant in New Jersey to serve the meatless burger that "bleeds." Today you can find it at Applebee's and Cheesecake Factory. Made entirely from plants — primarily wheat, coconut oil and potatoes — the Impossible looks like meat; it even has a slightly red center. At the Barrow House, it is today a vegan burger (it used to have Havarti cheese and a brioche bun, making it vegetarian) that is topped by crunchy potato strings and sweet caramelized onions and served on a 9-grain vegan roll slathered with vegan aioli (made with tofu, cashews, olive oil, horseradish and lemon). $19 with your choice of fries or salad.

Veggie Burger at the Saddle River Cafe, Saddle River

Veggie burger at the Saddle River Cafe in Saddle River(Photo: Saddle River Cafe)

Chef and owner Jamie Knott's wife and one son are vegetarians, so he knew he had to come up with a really good veggie burger, not only for his family, but for his casual and darling cafe. Enter the Veggie Burger, a patty made out of robust mashed lentils and earthy mushrooms topped with tomatoes and served on a thick toasted slice of multigrain bread slathered with chickpea spread. $15.

'Shroom Burger at Shake Shack, Paramus

You don't have to be a vegetarian to love Shake Shack's 'shroom burger. This crisp-fried, panko-crusted portobello oozes hot Muenster and cheddar cheese the minute you bite into it. It's topped with lettuce, tomato and the chain's special sauce. It's so good you may even forget you're eating a vegetable burger.

Clint's Almost Famous Veggie Burger at Zinburger, Paramus

What's in Zinburger's super-popular veggie burger? Got time? The patty features 21 ingredients including tofu, mushrooms, zucchini, garbanzo beans and even fries. The whole shebang is held together with panko bread crumbs, fried and then topped with smoked mozzarella, creamy avocado, lettuce and a bit of mayo. $9.50.

Shrimp Burger at Mr. Crabby's Craft Kitchen & Bar, Randolph

Crabby's shrimp burger(Photo: Mr. Crabby's Seafood House in Randolph)

It is strictly not a veggie burger, though if you've sworn off meat but not fish, consider executive chef Eric LeVine's shrimp burger. LeVine, who was formerly the chef at Morris Tap and Grill, where his burgers stood out, has penned a cookbook titled "Burgers, Bowls, Jars" (available on chefericlevine.com). The man knows how to create interesting burgers. So, why not a shrimp burger? "Shrimp is a protein that picks up flavors and cooks evenly," he said. "It has a nice snap in the bite." That snappy patty is topped with wasabi slaw and crisp wonton chips and served on a pretzel bun. $17.